15 October 2009

warm wishes for happy healing

my jerry's mom moved to an assisted living home last year. she likes it and i'm glad to know that. since she is just down the road, jerry can stop to see her a couple times a week on his way home from work. sometimes i pop in, sometimes not. usually i do, but when my folks and i were busy cleaning/painting/flooring, i didn't~i'd just send messages with jerry.

sometimes i take her to doctor's appointments and such. she's not been feeling wonderfully well for quite some time. there isn't any one thing majorly wrong with her health, it's a bunch of things that affect her in various ways. so some days she's feeling fine and can enjoy movies, telephoning her friends, visiting with other residents while they do crafts, and even getting her hair/nails done on site {there is a beautician's shop in the home, that's way cool}.

other times, she's not feeling so great. then she usually stays in her room, only venturing down the hall for meals. when she's not feeling good, it's hard for her to get comfortable and so once she is situated just right, she's reluctant to leave her comfy reclining chair.

last winter, she had pnuemonia. it never quite went away. several times this year, she's had to take a course of antibiotics, because the doctors felt that her lungs needed it. sometimes she has a hard time catching her breath, and sometimes will cough lots in an effort to breathe easier. she's been examined and treated several times and things get better but not completely so.

last night, she ran a high fever and went to the hospital. earlier today, she was admitted. her fever had broken, but they felt that the pnuemonia was settled in her left lung and they wanted to see if they can rid her of it. finally. so she's in the ICU now, and feeling sorta rough.

jerry's sister kept him updated thru~out the day and after he was able to leave work and all, he stopped by to see her for a bit. since the ICU has strict visiting times and rules, because the primary point is so that the patient can rest and not be disturbed, he was only able to spend a short amount of time with her. but he said that he felt reassured that she is receiving good care and that she is doing as well as can be expected, with a good prognosis for the next few days.

so we're hoping that before the week is out, she'll be back in her room at the home, and feeling tons better and able to enjoy her activities again. and for when she does get to read this: hugs and kisses, sweet carolyn!!